{"id":264,"date":"2017-11-07T12:30:26","date_gmt":"2017-11-07T12:30:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dev.ipcc-wg3.ac.uk\/wp\/?p=264"},"modified":"2018-01-18T13:02:25","modified_gmt":"2018-01-18T13:02:25","slug":"working-group-iii-gets-going-on-the-6th-assessment-cycle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.ipcc-wg3.ac.uk\/index.php\/2017\/11\/07\/working-group-iii-gets-going-on-the-6th-assessment-cycle\/","title":{"rendered":"Working Group III gets going on the 6th assessment cycle"},"content":{"rendered":"

October 2017 was a busy month for the IPCC. With three Lead Author Meetings and the nomination of authors for the next big Assessment Report, the 6th<\/sup> assessment cycle is well and truly underway.\u00a0<\/span>Professor Jim Skea Co-Chair of IPCC Working Group III, talks about what’s in store for Working Group III this cycle.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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IPCC Working Group III Co-Chairs Jim Skea and P.R. Shukla<\/p><\/div>\n

What\u2019s in store for the 6th<\/sup> assessment cycle<\/strong><\/p>\n

From the Kyoto protocol to the Paris Agreement, each IPCC cycle has fed directly into international decision-making. We expect that this cycle will be no different. More than ever, science and scientific evidence is playing a central role in policymaking at all levels.<\/p>\n

\"blogpic\"<\/a>Countries gave IPCC scientists a demanding workload this cycle. On top of the three Working Group Assessment Reports, governments have requested three Special Reports and an update on the methodology for calculating greenhouse gas inventories.<\/p>\n

The first special report, on global warming of 1.5\u00b0C, is high profile and challenging. It will look at the impacts of a 1.5\u00b0C warmer world, and the pathways available to countries to stay below this temperature increase. The report will be agreed in time for the facilitative dialogue at COP24 in 2018, where the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will take stock of the collective efforts in relation to progress towards the goal of the Paris Agreement.<\/p>\n

Work on the other two Special Reports has also begun. One will focus on climate change and land, and the other on oceans and the cryosphere. These two reports will be agreed in 2019.<\/p>\n

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IPCC Working Group III during the approval of the AR6 outline at the 46th session of the IPCC in Montreal, Canada. Photo by IISD\/ENB<\/a> | Mike Muzurakis<\/p><\/div>\n

As in previous cycles, each Working Group will also publish its contribution to the overall Assessment Report. These will then be brought together in the Synthesis Report, which will be agreed in 2022. These reports will be published in time for the global stocktake on collective progress towards the Paris Agreement that will take place in 2023.<\/p>\n

So there is plenty to keep us busy, and expectations are high. But we aren\u2019t just doing more this cycle, we are also looking at how we can do things differently.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s new for the IPCC?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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IPCC authors at the First Lead Author Meeting of the Special Report on Climate Change and Land in Oslo, Norway<\/p><\/div>\n

As the elected leadership of the IPCC, my fellow Co-Chairs and I set the strategic direction of the IPCC\u2019s work.<\/p>\n

At the start of this cycle, we set a number of aspirations for our work. We are placing a strong emphasis on making sure our reports are actionable.<\/p>\n

We want to link climate change to the Sustainable Development Goals, enhance the participation of developing country experts, deepen engagement between Working Groups, link top-down and bottom-up scientific approaches and, crucially, enhance the relevance for policymakers charged with following through decisions made under the UN Framework. In this way, we hope that long-term, strategic thinking can be better aligned with shorter, policy-relevant timescales.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s in store for climate change mitigation in AR6?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"blogpic4\"<\/a>In previous assessment cycles, Working Group III reports (those that assess options for reducing the rate at which climate change is happening, or climate change mitigation) were criticised for being too abstract. We heard that our reports focussed too much on the long-term, with no clear guidance on what immediate steps might be needed.<\/p>\n

As the Co-Chairs of Working Group III, Professor Shukla and I have some specific objectives for this cycle. We are making efforts to:<\/p>\n